Southern Virginia 17, Edward Waters 10: Notes and Quotes

Nov 12, 2012

Written by Sean Dahlin

COMEBACK

With 1:55 left in the contest, freshman quarterback Andy Jones (Salt Lake City, Utah) made a pair of two-yard touchdown runs sealing the miracle win for the Knights. Both scores were set up by big gains through the air with Jones first hitting senior tight end Jeff Waldron (Costa Mesa, Calif.) for an 18-yard gain to the Tigers' two-yard line. On the following Southern Virginia drive, fellow-senior wide receiver Dewayne Beamon (Eastern Wayne, N.C.) caught a game-long 38-yard strike in preparation for Jones' game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds left in the contest.

THREE CONSECUTIVE WINS

Southern Virginia finished the season with a three-game win streak—defeating Webber International (27-6) on Nov. 3 and Alfred State (21-6) on Oct. 27—after defeating Edward Waters 17-10 on Saturday. The 2007 squad, that finished 6-5 overall, recorded three consecutive wins against Kentucky Christian University (76-35), Frostburg State University (35-20) and Faulkner University (39-18) from Oct. 5-20, 2007.

RUSHING ATTACK

The running game reached 100-plus team yards for the third straight time accumulating 132 yards on the ground. Sophomore Jamal Coates (Conover, N.C.) led the way with a career-high 100 yards on the ground from 13 carries—the team's second 100-yard rusher this season—while junior Tod Workman (Springerville, Ariz.) added 79 yards on 17 carries.

OFFENSIVE STANDOUTS

Jones had another solid outing for the Knights at the quarterback position completing 12 of his 22 attempts for 138 yards to go along with two rushing touchdowns and no interceptions. Jones' favorite target against Edward Waters was senior wide receiver Cameron Williams (Sacramento, Calif.) who caught four passes 41 yards.

TEAM DEFENSE RECORD

Southern Virginia's defense—that has allowed three offensive touchdowns in its last four contests—forced Edward Waters to punt after a three-and-out on its final drive of the game, and made a critical four-down goal line stand at its own one-yard line just before halftime. The 2012 defense set a new program record allowing 24.7 points-per-game and ranks third all-time allowing an average of 371.1 yards-per-game.

Senior kicker Brett Murray (Hollywood, Fla.) evened the score as he connected on a 22-yard field goal—his fourth make on the year—with 8:56 left in the third quarter while also converting on his two extra-point attempts late in the fourth quarter.

Southern Virginia Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald

General thoughts:

"Although we were behind until the very end, our team always believed we had a chance to win the game."

On the defense's performance:

"Our defense has been solid all season, especially during our three-game winning streak. As far as the teams I have been head coach for, this is the best defensive unit I have been associated with."

On the offense's big drives late in the game:

"Andy [Jones] showed great poise by making key throws with defenders in his face and our offensive line made key blocks. We also got some great catches in the clutch by our seniors Dewayne [Beamon], Jeff [Waldron] and Cameron [Williams] that led to our two touchdown scores."

On the running game:

"Jamal [Coates] and Tod [Workman] had an outstanding day and kept our offense moving forward."

On his team's 2012 finish:

"I'm proud of our team for finishing the season on a high note, especially for our ten seniors that deserve to finish their careers on top."

Southern Virginia Running Back Jamal Coates

On his performance:

"Anything that I was able to accomplish is all thanks to my offensive line for opening the holes for me all day."

On his third-down run in the final drive:

"I bounced to the outside when I saw the block made by my right tackle which opened a lane for me to get the first down and a little more."

Southern Virginia Quarterback Andy Jones

On the offense's performance:

"We started the game slowly but my receivers made big catches and everybody played their part to make the comeback happen at the end."

On his touchdown runs:

"It's ironic that I made two touchdown runs with negative rushing yards, but I credit my offensive line for making the blocks so I could score when it counted most."